Foundations and entrances of buildings are typically elevated above ground level. Steps and a deck or stoop are provided to allow a person to walk or climb up to or near the level of the threshold of the door. Each step has a given rise and a given depth to allow the person to safely negotiate the step. A series of steps requires a certain amount of surface area in front of the door. The deck or stoop forms a platform with enough surface area for a person to safely open and enter or exit through the door. The size and shape of the available area for constructing the steps and deck varies due to obstructions, such as the building foundation, adjacent structures, driveways, walkways, trees, bushes and gardens. Other considerations, such as the locations of widows, mail boxes and sitting areas can also affect the location, size and shape of the step and deck construction.
A variety of approaches have been developed for constructing steps and decks leading into building. While some of these approaches provide flexible constructions that are easily adapted to the size and shape of a specific area, they lack durability and maintainability. Other approaches provide constructions that are durable and easy to maintain, but lack the flexibility to adapt to a variety of applications. These constructions can also be difficult to alter or remove. Providing a continuous, integrated design in the surface of conventional step and deck constructions creates further problems for conventional approaches.
Wooden step and deck assemblies are flexible and can be custom fit to the contours of a specific building, mobile home or trailer and its landscaping. A problem with wooden step and deck constructions is that they lack long term durability and require frequent upkeep due to the loosening of nails, screws, bolts or other fixtures, as well as the need for routine applications of weather inhibitors to slow down rotting caused by rain, wind, snow and ice. Additional types treatments are used to reduce the rate of deterioration of the wood resulting from the constant wear and tear of use, salt, gravel, dirt and even snow and ice removal. The smooth and frequently slippery surface of lacquered wood requires the use of anti-skid mats or strips to be applied to the walking surfaces. In addition, wooden step and deck constructions are typically anchored by several posts or supports embedded in the ground. These posts or supports can shift and heave over time, especially in regions subject to frequent freezing and thawing. Digging up and resetting these post or supports can be difficult and labor intensive, particularly in the cramped areas next to the building and its landscaping.
Precast concrete step and deck constructions are typically more durable and require less upkeep than wooden assemblies. However, the large slabs that form the steps and decks are heavy to lift and move, and difficult to align during installation. Motorized construction equipment or special tools are usually required. For cost reasons, manufacturers tend to massproduce a limited selection of precast step and deck slabs, each slab having a specific shape and size. The limited selection is frequently unable to conform to the size and shape of the area allocated for the step and deck construction. While custom precast concrete step and deck slabs are possible, the manufacturing and shipping costs result in significantly greater unit prices. Moving, removing, altering or adding to a large precast step or deck construction can also be labor intensive and expensive.
Poured concrete step and deck constructions conform to the specific building and landscape design. However, these constructions require the time and expense of building forms and the delivery or mixing of the concrete. Special layout, carpentry, and concrete finishing skills are also required. Poured concrete steps and decks are also prone to cracking due to the settling or freezing and thawing of the ground supporting the steps and deck. The removal or replacement of these larger poured concrete slabs can also be prohibitive. Again, large construction equipment can be required. As with precast constructions, removing, altering or adding to the precast construction can be labor intensive and expensive should the owner want to move, expand or add a handicap access ramp to the construction.
While dry stacked constructions have been developed to form retaining walls and building walls, the instability of a multi-column, multi-row, multi-tier dry stacked assembly has inhibited its adoption in step and deck constructions. Even a single column wall system will utilize a mechanism for securing the risers together. For example, many retaining wall systems utilize a projection extending from the lower surface of the block to grip the block beneath it. A variety of hardware fastening systems can also be used to secure the single column of blocks together. Retaining wall constructions typically stagger the blocks laterally from tier to tier to form a running bond construction that increases the strength of the wall. Each tier or course of blocks is also set back from its lower tier so that the wall leans into the hill it is retaining. While a staggered running block construction utilizing a set back is appropriate for a dry stacked retaining wall construction, such attributes render the blocks inappropriate for a step and deck assembly.
Some conventional warehouse wall constructions utilize a column of dry stacked blocks between poured concrete pillars. A fiberglass reinforced plastered sheet is placed on each side of the dry stacked blocks to keep them in place. The expense of forming poured concrete pillars and applying reinforced plaster sheets renders such a construction inappropriate for a step and deck assembly. Pouring concrete down the hollowed out cores of the dry stacked blocks to hold them in place is also known. However, such constructions include the expense of a significant amount of concrete, as well as the mess of mixing and filling the cores of the stacked blocks. Such constructions are also difficult to remove or alter.
Incorporating a continuous, integrated pattern into the walking surface of a masonry step and deck construction further complicates its design. While a precast step and deck slab construction can incorporate a pattern on its surface, these patterns make it even more difficult to integrate two separate slabs. Poured concrete constructions require a skilled mason to form the design into the concrete while it is setting, which further adds to the cost and inconvenience of such constructions. Extending the continuous pattern into the walkway leading to the steps and deck creates further problems. Precast concrete steps and decks are not sized or shaped to create walkways. Poured concrete walkways with hand formed designs add to an already expensive construction technique.
The present invention is intended to solve these and other problems.